Online Source Review
This introductory assignment follows the library research orientation,
and requires students to submit a two page review of at least 3 online
sources of related scientific information in short article format, suitable
for publication in a newspaper. The article should be written for a
general but knowledgeable audience, for instance, those who would read
the Science Times section of The New York Times every
Tuesday.
Sample topics:
- The student does some online research and finds three book reviews
on a certain science book. [Ideally, the book is on a topic this student
knows about.] He writes an article about the three reviews and comes
to some conclusion worth presenting to the members of his audience.
- The student finds abstracts of three articles on the topic of bioremediation,
and decides to write a short article making the general public aware
of where they can find information about the topic.
- The student finds a great Web site explaining how homeowners can
make their homes safe from radon contamination. She decides to write
an article summarizing the Web site and including information from
two other sources in order to inform her readers about this issue.
- A student wants people to know the latest information on a certain
food additive and finds three different online sources of information
about it. [It would be best if the three sources were written from
a variety of perspectives.] She writes an article reviewing these
sources in order to let the public know how to find information.
One goal in writing source reviews is to keep your own opinions out
of the review as much as possible. Science writing and reporting is
not necessarily the same as expository writing. All you need to do is
identify the perspectives guiding the research or sources you have found,
and make the public aware of them. Your own opinion should be well-hidden.
You should inform, discuss, and let your readers make up their own minds.
|
